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Kal let Zod drag him through the crowd. “Mom won’t be happy,” Kal insisted. “She only likes organic food.”
Zod glanced down at Kal. “Do you know what the term ‘organic’ means?”
“I do, but I’m sure you’re going to explain why I’m wrong anyways,” Kal muttered underneath his breath.
“Organic refers to anything related or derived from carbon soils,” Zod said loudly. He smirked, preferring to ignore Kal’s smart remark. “So if burgers come from cows, and cows are carbon based, then it’s organic.”
“Zod,” Kal groaned. “You know that isn’t what she means.” Kal raised his eyebrows, attempting to pull off his mother’s look of disapproval, but he kept pace with Zod anyways.
Zod excused himself past a few people, and pulled Kal closer in order to walk through the crowd without losing him. “Come on. Pesticides, herbicides, et cetera. Just think of them as something to help toughen you up. A little radiation can be good for you.” Zod clasped his hands on Kal’s shoulders. “You’re only twelve. Don’t let the genetically modified food own you.”
Kal stared at Zod before bursting out laughing. His mother would’ve had Zod banished for talking like that, but she would probably forgive them both for making poor food decisions. Especially at a fair. There were just so many temptations.
But Lara had actually packed Kal a lunch. The only reason Kal wasn’t eating that was because Zod insisted Kal leave it in the car.
Kal’s father was right. Zod was a bad influence sometimes.
Zod paid for two plates of burgers and fries and led Kal off to the side. “It’s alright. If anything, we can blame it all on me. Your parents know you would never purposely do something to upset them,” Zod said.
Kal pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side but not exactly nodding his head. That still felt like lying. He could’ve insisted on going back for the lunch his mother made him. “Will Faora meet us later?”
“Yes…Well, maybe.” Zod looked upward before smiling down at Kal. “She has plans, but she might manage to find time. She said she’ll call.” Zod led him toward a picnic table.
Kal returned a smile. Faora was one of Zod’s dearest and most loyal friends from the military, but outside of the military, he didn’t expect Faora to drop everything she had for him. Faora would if Zod asked her to, but they allowed each other to enjoy their civilian lives.
It would be fun if Faora found time to meet them. She always knew things about everything and liked dropping facts around Kal. But Faora was intense. If she was going to meet them at the fair, she would insist on going on all the rides, something Kal didn’t necessarily want to participate in. Zod was more similar to Kal. He liked everything about the fair, but didn’t insist on focusing on one sole thing. He also didn’t insist on only going through the exhibits like his mother and father. The only downside to Zod was that he loved the food booths.
Zod walked away to pick up the two plates of burgers. “This kind of food you can only get once a year.” After setting the plates down, Zod took a huge bite of his burger. “We should get fried Oreos next. Mhm, and fried zucchini. Then maybe a turkey leg.” He pushed the second plate of food closer to Kal. “Don’t worry so much.” He frowned at Kal. Zod set his burger down back on his plate. “Would you feel better if you grabbed your lunch from the car?”
Kal glanced up at him. “Yeah,” he answered quietly.
“Kal, your mother isn’t going to be upset that you didn’t eat her food,” Zod said in a hushed tone. He frowned and pulled out his cell phone. Kal moved his fries around on his plate while Zod made a phone call. “Lara, is it alright if I feed Kal fair food, since, you know, we’re at a fair?” Kal kicked his feet at the air, wondering what his mom was saying. “Well I know you packed a lunch, but we forgot it in the car,” he huffed. “Anyways, you can’t shelter him forever. And it’s not like he gorges on junk food every day behind your back.” Zod sighed. “No, I haven’t fed him horrible food. I bought him a cheeseburger and fries, and he’s looking at it like it’s the ultimate sin.”
“Lara,” Zod groaned. He rubbed his hand over his face. “What does Jor have to say about this?” Zod stuffed a few French fries into his mouth. “Well, sure Jor is concerned about Kal’s health, but he has you two monitoring it every day. This is just one day free from your rules.”
Zod made his eyes go cross-eyed in an attempt to make Kal laugh. Zod grinned when it worked, but he was shaking his head as he redirected his attention to the conversation on the phone. “Lara, you trust me to take care of Kal. I want the best for him as well. I care for his health just as much as you and Jor. But he’s a child. You’re only exposing him to one set of ideals.” He let out another sigh of exasperation. “Lara,” Zod whispered, “let him just be a child. He’d rather walk back to the car to grab his lunch instead of going against your rules.”
Zod handed the phone to Kal. “It’s your mom.”
Kal frowned, but he took the phone anyways. “Hi, mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart,” Lara sighed. “Are you having fun with Zod?”
“Yeah.” Kal could barely hear her. He held the phone closer to his face.
“Was it Zod’s idea to leave your food in the car? And to get cheeseburgers?”
Kal hunched over, feeling guilty for ratting him out. “Yeah,” Kal replied weakly.
“Okay, well, it’s really hot today. I should’ve packed your lunch with an ice pack if I knew you were going to leave it in the car. But it’s alright; eat whatever it is Zod bought you. But don’t let him eat every single food item there. His health is probably more at risk than yours.” Kal heard his mom say something to his dad, but it was too muffled. “And I don’t want you two puking from all the greasy food.”
“Okay.” Kal nodded, even though his mom couldn’t actually see him.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” Kal replied.
“Okay, have fun. Tell Zod we love him too.”
“Okay, bye.” Kal handed the phone back to Zod. “She said to tell you they love you and to not eat every single thing here.” He picked up his burger, happy to find it was still warm.
“Well, alright. I guess we can live with those rules,” Zod shrugged.
Kal nodded in agreement, laughing when Zod attempted to eat half of his burger in one bite.